Officers Course Research Articles

An Exploratory Study on Ideal Leadership Behaviour: The Opinions of American Police Managers

This study examines the perceived ideal leadership behaviour in police organisations. It is based on a survey of 126 police managers from 23 US States who attended the Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute during the academic year 2007–2008. The questionnaire used in this investigation includes the Leader Behaviour Description Questionnaire Form XII (Stodgill, 1963). The main objectives of this exploratory analysis are to rank the importance of leadership characteristics based on police officers' perceptions, to create a typology of leadership styles preferred, and to identify the demographic factors that are most likely to influence variations in opinions regarding the behaviour of an ideal police leader. This research shows that individual characteristics can influence not only managerial styles, but also leadership preferences. In particular, results imply that gender and race play an important role in structuring leadership preferences. Female police officers do not appear to differ from men in their preferences for a predominantly task-centred and structured leadership. However, women seem to favour more than men do: (1) a type of leader who can be considered ‘transformational’; or (2) a more democratic, worker-oriented leader, who would allow subordinates freedom of action and would respond well to the followers' concerns. Compared with Whites and other racial minorities, African American police officers tend to favour more a structured task-centred leadership orientation or a leadership style described as transformational.

The views of doctors in their first year of medical practice on the lasting impact of a preparation for house officer course they undertook as final year medical students

BackgroundThe UK General Medical Council recommends that medical students have the opportunity of shadowing the outgoing new doctor whose post they will soon undertake. At the University of Nottingham the two-week shadowing period was preceded by two weeks of lectures/seminars wherein students followed sessions on topics such as common medical/surgical emergencies, contracts, time management, surviving the first two years of clinical practice, careers advice and so on.The present study aimed to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the lasting impact of a four-week preparation course for new Foundation Year 1 doctors [F1 s - interns]. The objectives chosen to achieve this aim were:1/ to determine the extent to which the lecture/seminar course and shadowing period achieved their stated aim of smoothing the transition from life as a medical student to work as a new doctor;2/ to evaluate perceptions of the importance of various forms of knowledge in easing the transition between medical student and new doctorMethodIn the spring of 2007, 90 graduates from Nottingham were randomly selected and then emailed a link to a short, online survey of quantitative and qualitative questions. Of these 76 responded. Analysis of quantitative data was carried out using SPSS 16.0 and employed McNemar's test. Analysis of the qualitative data was carried out using the constant comparative method.ResultsOnly 31% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the lecture/seminar part of the course prepared them well for their first FY1 post; 14% agreed that during their first job they drew on the knowledge gained during the lecture/seminar course; 94% strongly agreed or agreed that the shadowing part of the course was more useful than the lecture/seminar part.Experiential knowledge gained in the shadowing was the most highly valued, followed by procedural knowledge with propositional knowledge coming far behind.ConclusionsOur study shows that new doctors retrospectively value most the knowledge they are able to transfer to the workplace and value least material which seems to repeat what they had learned for their final exams.

New Entry Medical Officers Course 2008 – a personal review

New Entry Medical Officers Course 2008 – a personal review

Bone Stress Injuries Are Common in Female Military Trainees: A Preliminary Study

Although bone stress injuries are common in male military trainees, it is not known how common they are in female trainees. It also is unclear whether asymptomatic bone stress injuries heal if intensive training is continued. We prospectively followed 10 female trainees of a military Reserve Officer Course. The subjects underwent clinical and MRI examinations of the pelvis, thighs, and lower legs at the beginning, once during, and at the end of their 3-month course. We identified two to five injuries in every female trainee, all of whom already had the injuries at the beginning of the officer course. None of these injuries increased their severity despite vigorous training. Two-thirds were asymptomatic and low grade. Femoral and tibial shafts were the most common locations. Higher-grade injuries were more likely symptomatic, but regardless of the MRI findings, female trainees expressed only mild to moderate symptoms. Asymptomatic, low-grade bone stress injuries of the femoral and tibial shaft are common in female recruits undergoing heavy physical training. Because these injuries seem to remain constant or even disappear despite continued heavy physical activity, we do not recommend routine screening of asymptomatic trainees. As some bone stress fractures may have severe consequences (eg, in the femoral neck), symptomatic bone stress injuries should be examined and treated.

Designing and Maintaining a Communication Consulting Relationship: A Fire Officer Case Study

This case study describes a 35-year communication consulting relationship with the Illinois Fire Chiefs’ Association. This case explains the fire chiefs’ educational problems, the five-step method for creating an educational curriculum for fire officers, and the five-step procedure for continuous evaluation of the curriculum. Finally, an instructional communication model for the fire service is outlined which guides the teaching of three communication courses for fire officers in the State of Illinois.

Clinical and subclinical mastitis in smallholder dairy farms in Tanzania: Risk, intervention and knowledge transfer

In a cross-sectional study of 400 randomly selected smallholder dairy farms in the Tanga and Iringa regions of Tanzania, 14.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.6–17.3) of cows had developed clinical mastitis during the previous year. The point prevalence of subclinical mastitis, defined as a quarter positive by the California Mastitis Test (CMT) or by bacteriological culture, was 46.2% (95% CI = 43.6–48.8) and 24.3% (95% CI = 22.2–26.6), respectively. In a longitudinal disease study in Iringa, the incidence of clinical mastitis was 31.7 cases per 100 cow-years. A randomised intervention trial indicated that intramammary antibiotics significantly reduced the proportion of bacteriologically positive quarters in the short-term (14 days post-infusion) but teat dipping had no detectable effect on bacteriological infection and CMT positive quarters. Other risk and protective factors were identified from both the cross-sectional and longitudinal included animals with Boran breeding (odds ratio (OR) = 3.40, 95% CI = 1.00–11.57, P < 0.05 for clinical mastitis, and OR = 3.51, 95% CI = 1.29–9.55, P < 0.01 for a CMT positive quarter), while the practice of residual calf suckling was protective for a bacteriologically positive quarter (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.48–0.81, P ≤ 0.001) and for a CMT positive quarter (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.63–0.75, P < 0.001). A mastitis training course for farmers and extension officers was held, and the knowledge gained and use of different methods of dissemination were assessed over time. In a subsequent randomised controlled trial, there were strong associations between knowledge gained and both the individual question asked and the combination of dissemination methods (village meeting, video and handout) used. This study demonstrated that both clinical and subclinical mastitis is common in smallholder dairying in Tanzania, and that some of the risk and protective factors for mastitis can be addressed by practical management of dairy cows following effective knowledge transfer.

Community Policing: The Middle Manager’s Perspective

Community policing has evolved as the new organizational orthodoxy of policing. Volumes have been written on the subject by academics and research scholars. However, the voices of those who are charged with the reorganization of their departments and the implementation of community policing have been relatively silent. This article presents data drawn from the content analysis of the written views of community policing held by a select sample of middle managers from across the country. The respondents were attending the administrative officers course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville. During the course of their studies, they read current anthologies on community policing research. These findings identify and discuss a number of problems that they have encountered in the implementation of community policing. As such, they represent a practitioner’s assessment of community policing.

Compstat: The Manager's Perspective

Originally established by Commissioner William Bratton and his colleagues in the New York City Police Department, Compstat has emerged as a new organisational paradigm in policing. This paper presents data drawn from the written views of police managers from across the USA. The respondents were attending the Administrative Officer's Course at the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville, Kentucky. During the course of their studies, they read several works on Compstat, including Silverman's (1999) work, NYPD Battles Crime. Content analysis of their written comments reveals the strengths and weaknesses that they associate with the Compstat model.

2005 Council Elections; Environmental Committee Judges Science Fairs; Prospective Commanding Officers Course

Naval Engineers JournalVolume 117, Issue 2 p. 9-12 2005 Council Elections; Environmental Committee Judges Science Fairs; Prospective Commanding Officers Course Capt. Dennis K. Kruse USN (Ret.), Corresponding Author Capt. Dennis K. Kruse USN (Ret.)dkruse@navalengineers.orgSearch for more papers by this author Capt. Dennis K. Kruse USN (Ret.), Corresponding Author Capt. Dennis K. Kruse USN (Ret.)dkruse@navalengineers.orgSearch for more papers by this author First published: 29 October 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00328.xAboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume117, Issue2April 2005Pages 9-12 RelatedInformation

Effect of an IMCI intervention on quality of care across four districts in Cape Town, South Africa

Aims: To measure the change in quality of care provided to sick children as a result of the routine implementation of the IMCI intervention. Methods: Structured observations of consultations with...

Socialización policial: un estudio con una promoción de nuevo ingreso

ResumenEl presente trabajo aborda la socialización en ambientes laborales como un proceso continuo de ajuste cuyo éxito repercute en el bienestar personal y en actitudes positivas hacia el trabajo. Se ha llevado a cabo una investigación, con tres momentos de medida, sobre una población que se incorpora a la Policía Local del Ayuntamiento de Málaga. La muestra inicial de jóvenes reclutas es de 158, completando todas las evaluaciones 68 sujetos. Se propone un modelo de socialización en el que se establece la influencia de variables relativas a la persona, al puesto y a los contenidos de socialización sobre los resultados de ajuste indiviuo-organización. La secuencialidad de estas relaciones se estudian a través del empleo de ecuaciones estructurales. El modelo estructural propuesto se ajusta a los datos empíricos y los resultados obtenidos son confirmatorios en la mayoría de las relaciones hipotéticas planteadas. Estos resultados apoyan el valor predicitivo que las expectativas iniciales sobre el puesto tienen sobre la socialización y el alto efecto positivo ejercido de los contenidos de la socialización laboral sobre el ajuste laboral.

DIETARY PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTATION DURING MILITARY OPERATIONAL STRESS AND UNDERFEEDING

Soldiers engaged in sustained operations, characterized by near continuous activity, limited sleep periods and underfeeding (energy and protein), show a reduction in lean body and fat mass. PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of dietary manipulation of protein content for attenuation of lean body mass loss. METHODS Thirty-four Marine Infantry Officer Course candidates (MEAN ±SE, males, age: 21–30 yrs, height: 180.7 ±1.0 cm, mass: 82.1 ±1.3 kg, body fat: 15.8 ±0.6%) participated in an eight-day field exercise involving various force-on-force scenarios with a TDEE of 4,000–6,000 kcal per day. The Marines were randomly assigned to a low protein (LP, n=18) and a high protein (HP, n=16) group. Energy and carbohydrate content of the two diets were similar (1,700 kcal and 230 g, respectively). LP received 38 g (∼ 0.5 g/kg) protein per day while HP received 85 g (∼1.0 g/kg) per day. Body composition testing was performed before and after the training using DEXA (Lunar DPX-IQ, Madison, WI). Body composition was analyzed using two-way ANOVA, randomized block design with repeated measures. RESULTS Lean body mass decreased (p < 0.05) 2.2 ±0.5% (65.3 ±1.8 kg to 63.7 ±1.7 kg) in LP and 1.9% ±0.6% (65.0 ±1.2 kg to 63.8 ±1.3 kg) in HP, with no difference between groups. Total body mass and fat mass were lower (p < 0.05) after the field exercise (3.0 ±0.2 kg and 1.6 ±0.2 kg, respectively), with no difference between groups. CONCLUSION Manipulation of dietary protein intake during 8-d of underfeeding could not be demonstrated to have an effect on the maintenance of lean body mass in physically active males.

JUMP PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS FOLLOWING 8 DAYS OF MILITARY OPERATIONAL STRESS.

We have previously observed that repetitive jump performance under loaded conditions (30% 1RM squat) is reduced by ∼9% after 3 days of military operational stress (Nindl et. al., MSSE, 2002). PURPOSE To develop a more expedient field performance test sensitive to the effect of military operational stress we evaluated single and repetitive jump performance under unloaded conditions. METHODS 29 Marine Infantry Officer Course candidates (mean±SE, age: 24.5±0.3, height: 181±1.1 cm, body mass: 83.3±1.9 kg, body fat: 16.0±1.0%) participated in an 8-day field training exercise involving rigorous physical training, sleep and caloric restriction. Jump height was measured during a single maximal countermovement jump (1CJ) while, jump height and power output were measured during 30 repetitive countermovement jumps (30CJ) on a contact mat (Tapeswitch Corp., Farmingdale, NY) using the Kinematic Measurement System (Innervations, Muncie, IN) before and after military field training. Body composition was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry (Lunar DPX-IQ, Madison, WI). Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA with repeated measures (p ≤ 0.05). For comparison, jump height and power output were grouped into six, 5-repetition segments. RESULTS 1CJ height declined from 35.6±1 to 33.5±1 cm (p ≤ 0.05). The table shows jump height and power during 30CJ were unaffected by military field training. Body mass declined (p ≤ 0.05) by 3.1±1.8 kg. CONCLUSION The 1CJ test was sensitive to the operational stress. The unloaded 30CJ test apparently lacked the sensitivity to show the performance changes associated with this military operational stress.Table: No Caption Available

Reinventing Government: The Views of Police Middle Managers

This article presents data drawn from the written views of middle managers representing police departments from across the nation. The respondents were attending the Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville. During the course of their studies, they read Osborne and Gaebler's (1992) Reinventing Government. In a written essay, they were asked to identify the three best and worst ideas from this text. The results indicate that these police middle managers supported the elements of reinvention that reflected the ideals of community policing. They attacked other ideas as inefficient, inequitable, or unethical. Overall, their views reflect cautious support for the changes expressed in Reinventing Government.

A method for measuring team skills

A method for identifying and measuring team skills, specifying team training objectives and the objective assessment of team performance is described. First, a theoretical model of team performance is outlined and then a version of Hierarchical Task Analysis specially adapted to analysing team tasks is described. The two are then combined into an event-related measurement scheme, which provides a set of objective criteria by which key team skills can be assessed. The method is illustrated by an example from a basic Anti-Submarine Warfare training exercise which forms part of the Principal Warfare Officer's course at the Royal Naval School of Maritime Operations. The potential of the method is discussed, including the opportunities it may provide for the standardization of team performance assessment and in the use of new technology in the partial automation of shore-based and ship-board team training.

The Politics of Language in Multiethnic Militaries: The Case of Oriental Jews in the Israel Defence Forces, 1950-1959

This article argues that effective linguistic policies in multiethnic militaries do not evolve by themselves. Rather, they require both political pressure on the military to reform its language policy and the willingness of the military to learn from the experience of other militaries. It also provides new evidence to explain how a new quality classification system of manpower excluded Oriental conscripts (Jews who emigrated from Arab and Muslim countries) from the IDF's aptitude testing process because the tests were in Hebrew, not in their native languages, and therefore did not measure their true aptitude. Poor exam results were in turn interpreted as indications of widespread illiteracy among Oriental soldiers who were assigned to low-prestige vocations, with few succeeding in gaining entry into officer courses. The article also explains why David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister and Defence Minister, senior military officers, and Oriental leaders did nothing to rectify this situation.

Corruption prevention: A course for police officers fighting organised crime

In literature one often finds education and training are given as possible prevention methods to cope with corruption but with little evidence or information on how to deal with the problem of how to set up such a course. This article is about the course set up by the College for Criminal Investigation and Crime Control, the Netherlands, concerning corruption prevention training for police officers. The aim of this course is for participants to gain insight into their own decision process; that they decide, what they decide and what the consequences of their decisions can be. Gaining insight is intended to make them less vulnerable to corruption. It is a three-day course in which corruption prevention is approached from an individual point of view. The article will start with a theoretical framework,after which the course is described. It offers a practical means of addressing an issue that attracts much attention but little guidance on its resolution.

Assessment of physician competence in prehospital trauma care

In an attempt to develop a model to measure the competence of physicians providing emergency care under difficult field conditions, 75 Israeli army medical corps physicians were evaluated through the use of four instruments: a debriefing interview, peer assessment, selfassessment and written examination. The special on-site assessment model was designed to examine actual events, enabling an assessment of performance in real situations rather than simulated cases. Significant positive correlations were found between the results of the written examination and the peer evaluation on two of four measures ( r = 0.36, P = 0.001; r = 0.23, P = 0.05) as well as on the two measures regarding self-evaluation and peer evaluation ( r = 0.54, P = 0.001; r = 0.38, P = 0.05). It was found that those physicians who were trained in the army's medical officer course scored significantly higher on the written examination ( P = 0.001) and were rated more highly by their senior peers ( P = 0.048) than those who did not receive such training. It was concluded that it is advantageous to use a combination of knowledge (written examination) and performance (peer assessment or self-assessment) measures in order to arrive at a more comprehensive assessment of competence. In addition, the written examination format should be expanded and developed to include more clinical vignettes requiring treatment decisions, making this instrument a more clinically oriented measure of physician competence in trauma care.

Effects of some psychosocial variables on different disease manifestations in 112 cadets: A longitudinal study

One-hundred and twelve cadets attending the 141st training course for reserve officers of the ‘Scuola Trasmissioni’ of the Italian Army were administered, 10 days after incorporation, a battery of personality tests and measures of stressful events in the preceding year. Test scores were considered both individually and grouped into factors. During the 6 months of the course all disease episodes for each cadet were recorded. Total episodes infections and traumas were considered. A significantly higher number of total episodes and, specifically, of infections was present in subjects reporting a higher number of stressful events, in interaction with attitudes towards parent figures, hardiness, loneliness, and an alienation factor. A younger age of subjects also appeared predictive of a higher number of total episodes and infections, as a main effect and in interaction with attitudes to mother, hardiness, and alienation. Very few effects were obtained for traumas, suggesting that the effects of variables are mediated through a biological route rather than through behaviour, as would be the case if traumas were involved. No effect was shown by measures of stressful events alone. Results are discussed in the light of a reconsideration of the notion of stressful events.

Media issues in police education and training1

Abstract Using an in‐class survey conducted with two Administrative Officers Course classes of the Southern Police Institute, the author determined these mid‐career police officials generally were in favor of increasing the amount of formal education and training devoted to police media relations issues. The respondents were regular media consumers, reading local newspapers and watching local television news with high frequencies, most doing so daily. They viewed all news media as being between somewhat accurate and of mixed quality, and felt TV and film crime fiction were somewhat accurate to very inaccurate. Unlike some earlier studies of police attitudes toward the mass media, these officers did not see the media as overtly hostile toward the police, but judged them neither pro‐police nor anti‐police in their outlook and coverage. Their views are used by the author in support of advocating additional media training of police and the inclusion of media relations in collegiate criminal justice education curricula.